The 11 Ugliest Uniforms In Ryder Cup History

Golf is one of the few sports where you’ll rarely see competitors wearing identical outfits. Players may have de facto uniforms thanks to the “scripting” that frequently dictates what they wear during tournaments, but the Ryder Cup is one of the rare events where they’ll don an actual one—including some that have stuck out for all of the wrong reasons.

These are the ugliest ensembles golfers from the United States and Europe have donned at the Ryder Cup

Players at the Ryder Cup have been rocking uniforms that differentiate the two teams competing for the bulk of the tournament’s existence.

Some of those outfits have been pretty fresh, while others are probably best described as “perfectly acceptable.” Unfortunately, there have been more than a few occasions where the designers really missed the mark.

I’m going to go in chronological order here aside from the final entry, as I’m saving what is easily the worst for last.

Team USA—1989

I don’t hate these as much as some people seem to, and they are certainly far from the worst ones on this list. However, the Americans went a bit too deep with the V-neck at The Belfry in 1989.

Team Europe’s Wives—1993

This is the only entry where I’m not focusing on the golfers themselves, but I have to give a shoutout to the sweaters worn by the spouses of the guys who represented Europe at the Ryder Cup in 1993.

Team USA—1995

Corey Pavin almost pulled off this look at the Ryder Cup in 1995, as the only way you can really make it (sort of) work is with a mustache like that. However, that only does so much to distract from the fact that the pattern was seemingly ripped straight from the wallpaper in the dining room of a Victorian home.

Team USA—1999

This is probably not the first shirt that springs to mind when you think of the ones the Americans wore at the Ryder Cup in 1999 (we’ll be discussing that one momentarily). However, the bumblebee-inspired design was certainly A Choice.

Team USA—2006

Brown is a very versatile color that can serve as the centerpiece of a stylish outfit, but that was not the case with the ones that the Americans wore at the Ryder Cup at 2006 that made them look more like UPS drivers than golfers vying for one of the sport’s biggest prizes.

Team Europe—2008

That picture may be of three guys who were affiliated with Europe’s Ryder Cup team in 2008, but if you told non-golf fans it was a trio of cellphone salesmen, you probably wouldn’t have a hard time convincing them you were telling the truth.

Team USA—2010

The Americans repeatedly slapped aesthetics in the face at Celtic Manor in 2010 to the point where they managed to earn multiple entries here.

I’m going to start with the most egregious outfit, which revolved around a lavender vest that never should have made it out of the brainstorming session where it was conceived.

Team USA—2010 (Again)

It’s worth noting Team USA did have one very solid ensemble thanks to the red argyle sweaters that were easily the standout in a competition where there was close to literally no competition.

However, they also missed the mark with the black outfits that were donned for Sunday’s play. It did make sense when you consider the team was wearing them to their own funeral based on how things played out, but no one was going to look back at them fondly if they’d managed to rally to get the win.

Team Europe—2012

I know I’ve been picking on the Americans a bit more than their counterparts so far, so let’s turn our attention back to the Europeans.

We’ll start with this lime green number from 2012, which looks like it belongs on a referee at the World Cup as opposed to a golfer at the Ryder Cup.

Team Europe—2014

The Europeans apparently learned nothing from America’s purple debacle in 2010, as they made the same mistake four years later with the thistle-emblazoned sweaters that looked like something plucked off the rack at a Hugo Boss store.

Team USA—1999

As promised, I’m saving the worst for last, as there isn’t a single crime against fashion that sticks out quite like the uniforms that Team USA threw on for the final day of the Ryder Cup at The Country Club in 1999.

In theory, wearing shirts featuring pictures of previous Ryder Cup teams (an idea spawned from the mind of American captain Ben Crenshaw) was a cool idea. In practice, it created a hideous monstrosity that requires you to expose yourself to borderline deadly levels of irony to appreciate.

They may have served as a good luck charm as the United States mounted a comeback to beat Europe after heading into the final day of play down 10-6, but that’s really the only nice thing that can be said about them.